Water heaters provide a valuable convenience in the modern home in that they supply hot water to the occupants of the household upon demand. Unfortunately, water heaters also introduce dangers into the home. Indeed, natural disasters, such as, for example, earthquakes or flooding, can cause the water heater to overturn or pull from the wall such that damage to the gas line occurs causing the release of natural gas which can then ignite. The igniting of the natural gas can destroy the house, and potentially the occupants, if the fire is not immediately contained.
In an effort to avoid such disasters, some state legislatures, e.g., California, have passed laws requiring the securing of the water heater to the wall or to the floor. These requirements have aided in reducing the number of disasters caused from damaged water heaters.
One device directed to the restraint of water heaters is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,518 to McCraney. In the McCraney reference, an elongated strut is secured to a wall. Strapping is attached to a pair of triangular gussets which are then attached to the strut and connected together with a pair of tensioning buckles. The gussets are slidably coupled to the strut such that the gussets can be independently positioned depending upon the position of the studs in the wall. Although this design provides a sturdy restraint, it is time consuming to install due to the numerous parts. Another drawback of this design is the difficulty encountered in threading the straps through the two slots in the tensioning buckle. Further, the design in the McCraney reference does not allow the water heater to be retrofitted; rather, the water heater must be removed from the wall to install the restraint. Additionally, this design is limited in the scope of installation in that the elongated strut requires a flat wall for attachment, thus, the water heater must also be located against this flat wall.
A need exists in the industry for a restraining device that is safe, inexpensive and allows for ease of installation. Further, a need exists for a restraining device that can be retrofitted to existing water heaters such that the water heater does not need to be removed from the wall to install the restraining device. A need further exists for a restraining device that allows installation of the water heater with varying types of spaces, such as, rounded corners.